Recruiting Roundup: Turkeyshoot Day 1

IL reporter Casey Vock covered the Turkeyshoot Classic this weekend. Check back soon for coverage of Day 2 of the event.

The 19th annual Turkeyshoot Fall Classic Tournament kicked off its varsity action Saturday with teams from all over the country traveling to Ithaca High School – home of the Little Red – for the two-day event. Organized and managed by former Syracuse University defenseman Mark Wenham (’83), the Turkeyshoot has actually grown to span two weekends, with squads as young as the first-grade level taking the field, perhaps for the last time before winter creeps in. Mother Nature was kind Saturday, as temperatures reached into the mid-60s, and the result was a gorgeous day for lacrosse.

More than 50 college coaches checked out the action over the course of the weekend, including Florida Southern assistant coach Marty Ward, who made the trip all the way up from Lakeland, Florida. While this event has become a great recruiting opportunity for college coaches, this event also donates a portion of its proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Wenham’s son Winston, a defender on the Ithaca Little Red team, was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, a little more than three years ago. In three years of giving, the Turkeyshoot has donated $14,000 to the foundation, and Wenham estimated at least another $3,000 would be donated this year.

This year, the tournament made use of Ithaca High Stadium’s turf field – now in only its second season of use – with the Division I semis and championship games being featured on the clean new rug. The day culminated in two very talented teams meeting in a grudge match that came right down to the wire.

Here are some observations from Saturday’s semis and a rundown of the championship.

First semi-final: Kanienkehakah Krunch 16, St. Louis Pride 3

The St. Louis Pride, making the lengthy trip from Missouri and picking up a few Syracuse-area players for the event, defeated Club 313 8-3 and then edged the Toronto Beaches 8-7 on the way to the semi-final round. There, the Pride met the Kanienkehakah Krunch, an explosive team from Akwesasne in upstate New York that took home a championship trophy last year. The Krunch were able to build a 6-1 lead by the half and never looked back on the Pride.

This year’s rendition of the Krunch featured Inside Lacrosse’s #1 Young Gun Rising Senior Lyle Thompson (Albany), who was as explosive Saturday as I have ever seen him, also playing with poise and really becoming the focal point of each defense that faced him. Playing alongside guys who he’ll join in the spring of next season at Salmon River, Thompson shared face-off duties Saturday with Quinn Powless (2011), and Lyle won a good percentage of those takes against St. Louis. By my count, Lyle finished the game with something to the tune of 2 goals and 4 assists, but it was the way he was able to control the field, handling full-field clearing, running D mid, and making plays between the lines. It’s hard to find a player who can keep the ball in his stick through checks the way that Lyle can. He must have drawn a half-dozen penalties in two games as guys would try to take it from as he cradled it right out in front of them and pulled it back. Coming up the field early on, he faked the entire defense out, instead of shooting hitting Dalston Day across crease. Later, he won a face-off, drew the penalty on a slash, and took it right down the middle of the defense to score. And often, he’d have the pass that would set up a look leading to a goal, like when he lost the ball, fought to get it back and then quickly found Day who popped it to attackman Seth Oakes for a goal that defense just didn’t see coming.

Oakes (2012) was eye-catching from the first possession of the game, launching a low underhand blast to the back of the net from way out on the right wing for the Krunch’s first tally. Oakes was a force to be reckoned with against Velocity, showing strong inside skills, excellent stick protection and a real knack for getting room to work with. His passes are on a rope; his shots are lasers that either hit the corners or just barely missed them. Extremely resilient and a lot of fun to watch. He’s got a superb set of hands and can shed guys, able to shake defenders with ease and muscle them off when going to the cage. On one series, Oakes went full speed from out near the right wing, threw a fake, froze his defender, and then zipped it across the crease to Day for a fake and the finish. The next series, he took a feed inside from Ky Tarbell (2011) and pulled off an around-the-world style goal on the doorstep. Later, out toward the top right corner of the box and with a defender draped over him, Oakes faked a shot, absolutely freezing the opposing player, and then wound back up in a flash and put it right over the goalie’s shoulder. Another thing that coaches will like with Oakes was his groundball game, on more than one occasion showing the ability to body up against a long pole and somehow snatch the ball off the turf when it looked like he didn’t have the positioning to do so.

Tarbell, who also plays midfield, looked very comfortable running attack alongside Oakes and Day, often playing at X. A smooth passer and tough rider, Tarbell finished the game with a goal and three helpers, including several quick feeds inside. Day (2013), who led Salmon River in scoring last season, plays very smart off ball and is a talented finisher, coming through on the receiving end of some great passes from Oakes and Thompson. Day forms a dangerous complimentary player to Oakes when he’s on the opposite wing.

A few folks I spoke with couldn’t get enough of Quinn Powless (2011), a tremendously talented midfielder who hails from Six Nations. Powless stands at about 6-2, and coaches gave me a rough weight of about 225. Powless was sensational Saturday, excelling at the face-off X, using his big frame and soft hands to corral many a loose ball. He also used his height to make some great passes over his man, and looked pretty comfortable throwing the swim on his way to the goal, one time knocking down his man, turning and putting it right over the goalie’s head. He scored another couple down the stretch for the Krunch, including a low to high rocket as time expired. Rocking the pink stick and pink gloves, Powless may have caught opposing defenses just kind of watching him as he stormed in time after time and unleashed monster blasts from up top, hitting a few pipes in the process.

Chris George (2012) was leading the defense for the Krunch. George is extremely aggressive and he became quite familiar with the penalty box on the way to the championship. But overall, George throws accurate and hard checks and hustles after his man every single play. The Krunch saw solid defensive efforts from Korin Sunday (2012) and Stu Martin (2011) as well. Kyle Isaacs (2011) was running both LSM and SSDM, and also had a pretty good afternoon. Canadian Darell Robertson (2012) joined the Krunch and showed some serious wheels on clears.

In the net, Warren Hill was difficult to beat. The Six Nations product is enrolled in the PG program at the Hill Academy, but for the tournament, he joined the Krunch, who were in need of his services. He delivered Saturday, instilling confidence in a team that didn’t have a whole lot of numbers, especially short at the midfield.

Despite the loss, the St. Louis Pride as a team played with passion and hustled right up the end. Several players stood out for the Pride, including Chandler Millstone (2012), a tall, durable and hardworking midfielder who was scrapping at the face-off X against Thompson, but also doing a lot of work between the lines, leading the way on clears, and playing defense. Millstone had a nice feed to a cutting Dixon Anthon for one tally and later hit the top right corner for another on an EMO.

Middie Joe Corapi (2011), a Le Moyne commit from Liverpool, and Joe Snyder (2011), a defender from Westhill who will attend UMass, were the two Section 3 players added to the St. Louis roster, and Corapi made significant contributions for the Pride. An extremely competitive player, Corapi went right after Thompson on a few occasions when covering him, playing the top-ranked middie physical and tight. Corapi also scored a sweet goal for St. Louis, weaving across the box before blasting the top shelf.

Peter Hull (2012) really stood out on defense. Strong, fast, quick to snag groundballs and de-sticking more than one of the Iroquois players he was facing, Hull looks like a very promising athlete who already has the right size and some of the fundamentals for the next level. With a pretty good stick, solid footwork and a real burst up the field, Hull was a real bright spot for the Pride in the game against the Krunch.

Second semi-final: The Hill Academy Pride 10, Velocity Elite 4

The Hill Academy, as would be expected, fielded a very strong team Saturday, upending the Velocity Elite, a team from the Cincinnati, Ohio area that had a great weekend of its own, knocking off New England Elite and Carbon Lacrosse Ontario before meeting The Hill. But in this contest, The Hill built up an 8-2 lead and was able to work a great deal of its players into the game.

Patrick Corbett (2011), reportedly a Lehigh commit, is a consistent, gritty face-off middie who can also feed and shoot. He pushed several draws cleanly to himself. The Hill liked to run a play that allowed Corbett to dodge from the left wing, usually looking inside for an easy one or kicking it through X. That’s how the Pride got their first one here, with Corbett finding the slippery Kyle Whitlow (2011) right on the crease. He also made the same move later, got inside his man and scored from GLE. Corbett is a workhorse, has good stick work, and made sound decisions on the field. Corbett did a lot in between the lines for The Hill against Velocity as a key role player.

Future Georgetown attackman Reilly O’Connor (2011) is the leading attackman for The Hill at this point. O’Connor is a tall lefty with great finishing abilities and excellent vision. He took a nice feed from middie Alex Bohl in transition and hammered it in. Later, Kyle Whitlow fed him coming down the left lane, and he somehow still slipped it inside the far post as he was getting shoved out and losing his angle. He’s also pretty aggressive on loose balls and on the ride. He seems to be a leader vocally on offense, and is also a capable feeder, hitting Whitlow across the crease late in the first half.

Whitlow (2012) is small, but he is a smart, fearless player who throws himself right into the mix, dodging from X, feeding inside, riding hard—the whole bit. He was stuffed once and hit a pipe, finishing with two goals in this game. Coming off the bench, attackman Ryan Johnston (2013) put up three goals, including a couple really accurate snipes.

Bohl (2012) also stood out for The Hill. An athletic dodger with good size and height, Bohl had the play of the game, dodging down the right alley, throwing the stick to his right hand, and basically one-handing a low to high rocket pass into the crease and into the stick of Czech Republic world team member Dominic Pesek, who finished on the doorstep – a delightful play to witness.

LSM Tyler Gilligan (2012), like last weekend, impressed the heck out of me again this time around. He’s always where he needs to be, and at the right time, and I’ve heard of increasing Division I attention for this young man who works extremely hard on the field. Not the biggest, Gilligan more than compensates with great sticks skills, field sense, pure hustle and outstanding one-on-one defense. He was a major factor off the face-offs for The Hill, and also helped shut down most of Velocity’s efforts here, causing several turnovers and leading the way in transition.

Defender Sean Young (2011) is pretty tough for any attackman to get around, and he’s also a real asset in transition for the Pride. He’s got a nice stick, and was quick to get the ball off the floor and up the field. He took a pass from Gilligan and flung it to Johnston for a helper. Ray Bannister (2012) is another defender to look out for. He’s a tough player, has good footwork, runs well and hustled every single play. He also showed solid position defense each time I watched him. In the cage, Drew Tyrrell (2011) stood tall, stuffing some of the few opportunities Velocity could get against the aggressive, fast Hill defense.

Velocity had some nice talent of its own. In particular, attackman Brogan Hill (2011), a Bellarmine commit, was outstanding in this game and others. Hill is stocky, with thick legs and a low center of gravity, and he’s awfully tough to stop with some momentum, roll dodging through the defense. A strong player who certainly stood up to some punishment, Hill’s coaches spoke highly of him. He got his teammates involved by dodging, drawing and distributing the ball and showing good vision. Very confident and able to shoot extremely hard, Hill will be a nice addition for the Knights next fall.

Evan Hodel (2012), a grinder of a midfielder who also takes draws, was dangerous from up top for Velocity, scoring two goals on well-placed cranks on man-up sets. Attackman Ian McKay (2012), a shifty player with some field sense, also played well against The Hill. He was stuffed on the doorstep later on by Altschuler, but he was another Velocity player who stood out.

On defense, Velocity had additional promising players, including Cory Luebbe (2011), a big defender with great hands. Jacob Lucky (2011) and Dan Fajack (2011) also played well on defense for Velocity. Goalie Hayden Miller (2011) made a spectacular pair of back-to-back saves from right in front in the first half.

DI Championship: Kanienkehaka Krunch 9, The Hill Academy 8

In the final game, Lyle Thompson and Pat Corbett met on the draw, with Thompson coming up with the first one. After Thompson hit the inside of the pipe on a rocket from outside, The Hill gained possession and scored on its first look with Reilly O’Connor feeding Dominic Pesek for a bounce shot that snuck by Warren Hill (who actually attends The Hill) with about 19:30 left in the first half.

After Kyle Isaacs was sent off for a slash, the Krunch got a lucky break on the ensuing man-down set as attackman Zach Miller (2013) rung the pipe sending it the other way. Thompson ended up with the ball and wasted little time, fighting down the left alley, getting decked and – as he was falling – stinging the far side of the net with a backhand shot to tie the game at 1-1 at 16:30.

Ky Tarbell worked his way to the crease a few minutes later to give the Krunch a 2-1 lead, but The Hill scored shortly thereafter when Tyler Gilligan caused a turnover, brought it up the field and hit Stefan Diachenko (2011), who then fed Kyle Whitlow on the crease to tie the game at 2-2.

On the following possession, Thompson took the ball behind, dodged to his left coming from X, rolled to his right, switched back to his left, putting himself on the crease for an easy finish and the 3-2 lead with about 10 minutes to play in the half.

Neither team could crack the other’s defense for nearly five more minutes until Dalston day carried from the left wing and fed Powless inside. The big Quinn Powless caught, turned and wheeled out a howitzer low to high from right in the goalie’s face to put the Krunch up 4-2.

With about 4 minutes to play, things got chippy and several players went to the box. At one point, the Krunch were out-manned 5-3. But Warren Hill stood tall in the cage and the defense hung tight in the closing minutes of the half, never giving the Pride a quality look at the goal.

However, the Krunch were still man-down to start the second half, and The Hill made them pay quick with O’Connor finding Whitlow with enough time to sneak one in.

With about 20:50 to play, Thompson was being guarded by Sean Young, and the future Great Dane started throwing all kinds of fakes and cradling his stick right at Young. Young went for it, swinging at Thompson’s cross until he finally cracked him across the facemask, drawing flags. And just as the flags were thrown, Thompson swung it to Powless streaking through the defense for an easy finish and the 5-3 lead.

Dalston Day would score the next two goals for the Krunch, walking in untouched for a crank and then getting inside his man when dodging from the back corner and driving right to the crease, putting the Krunch up 7-3 with 14:30 to play.

Gilligan sparked another play just a few minutes later with a caused turnover, the clear and then a pass to O’Connor to reduce the Krunch lead to 7-4.

Warren Hill was a nightmare for his teammates down the stretch, stoning a few different Pride players on close shots that could have likely kept The Hill’s momentum going. Instead, the Krunch went up by four as Tarbell took a pass on the wing from Thompson and dipped inside on his man to give his team some breathing room, going up 8-4.

The Hill scored with just under 6 minutes to play when O’Reilly fed Diachenko to put the score at 8-5, and the Krunch would get another as Powless blasted one top shelf 40 second later. After the Krunch went down a man at 3:40, the Hill accelerated its late rally, with O’Connor first feeding Whitlow and then Diachenko again, to put the score at 9-7.

With 55 seconds left, Kyle Jackson (2012) quite smoothly dodged the left alley, got some space, wound up and picked the top right corner on a gorgeous shot to make it 9-8. The Krunch won the final face-off, and Gilligan came up with a marvelous pick with about 40 seconds left, but that would be the final, as the Pride couldn’t get one last quality chance.

(Side note: I need to give a shout out and thank you to Liberty Lacrosse in Auburn for the sweet T-shirt, and I need to apologize to the Krunch for forgetting my camera and not being able to catch a group shot of them after the game. I’ll get you next time, guys.)